Kissing the Tycoon Read Online Free PDF Page B

loved our mother. She played the sob story about how she was wronged and had tried to see us, but out father was the villain, keeping a poor mother from her children. It’s very unfortunate I was old enough to understand what went on all those years ago.”
    “What did you do?”
    “I wrote her a check for a measly amount of money. She had two choices. She could tear up the check and rebuild a relationship with her sons that she claimed to love, or she could cash the check and never darken our door again. And if she did, we would slap her with a restraining order.”
    “You didn’t?”
    “Put out a restraining order? No, but I did get some satisfaction in watching her face fall as she understood that I knew the full story.”
    “So she cashed the check?”
    “Within minutes of leaving my sight.”
    Words failed her. Nothing seemed to be the right thing to say. She held his hand, placed it against her cheek and laid her head on his leg. They sat there in peaceful silence until the sun was low in the sky.

Chapter Three
    B arret cleared the dirty dishes from the table before asking the question that had been dogging him all afternoon. “When do you need me to take you home?”
    “I don’t have a curfew.” She smiled with that cheeky grin of hers that shot straight to his cock.
    “I’m aware of that, but you do have to work tomorrow. Don’t you?”
    “Actually, Spencer told me to take Monday off, Tuesday if I needed it.”
    He didn’t want to push. He was afraid to ask her stay, even though she seemed to be hinting that way. He let past experiences blind him. Just having this chance to make things up gave him some light in the cavernous existence he called his life.
    “What time did you want to take me back? I know you have to be back at work and I am sure you want to head back to the city.”
    “I sold the apartment in the city once I had this place livable. I’ll work from home tomorrow and spend some time working on the living room.”
    “Would you like some help?”
    “Are you asking to stay the night?”
    “Do you want me too?”
    “I always want you here.”
    She walked around the island to stand closer to him. “I feel like we’re walking on eggshells.”
    Leaning against the counter, he sighed. “What are you hoping for?”
    “I don’t know. I just ended it with Chad—please know that that relationship was over long time ago. I never should have accepted his proposal, but I am not a hundred percent confident about my decision making when it comes to relationships.”
    Hearing those words and knowing he was partially to blame sliced him to the core. “Perhaps it would be best if I took you home.”
    “I don’t want to go home.”
    “I don’t want to push you.” He didn’t, but every ounce of self-control kept him from getting down on one knee and begging her to marry him. But when he did, he knew he had to do it right. It had to be everything she had dreamed about. And now wasn’t the right time.
    “I don’t feel pushed, but I’m not ready to be in another relationship yet.”
    He raised his eyebrows, confused by that statement. “So what do you want? A fuck buddy?”
    “Barret!”
    “Sorry, that wasn’t fair.” He ran a hand down his face, exhaustion seeping into him. “We can take this as slow as you need to. I’m not going anywhere.”
    “So I can help you work on the living room tomorrow?”
    “Know much about priming a wall for painting?”
    “Not a darned thing.” She smiled and some of the tension eased. “But I can learn.”
    Jet lag was the devil, and by eight p.m. Barret was feeling the weight of the hour difference to his very toes. He went out to the truck, grabbed her suitcase, and found her in the bedroom remaking the bed. The simple act filled him with such love, and just having her in this room made every hour he spent in this house worth it.
    “Here’s your bag. There should be clean towels in the bathroom, as well.”
    “Where are you going? Aren’t